Defense Mechanism

Sigmund Freud describes how the Ego uses a range of mechanisms to handle the conflict

between the Id, the Ego and the Super ego, which is why these mechanisms are often
called 'Ego defense mechanisms'.

Anxiety and tension

Freud noted that a major drive for most people is the reduction in tension, and that a
major cause of tension was anxiety. He identified three different types of anxiety.
Reality Anxiety
This is the most basic form of anxiety and is typically based on fears of real and possible
events, such as being bitten by a dog or falling from a ladder.
The most common way of reducing tension from Reality Anxiety is taking oneself away
from the situation, running away from the dog or simply refusing to go up the ladder.
Neurotic Anxiety
This is a form of anxiety which comes from an unconscious fear that the basic impulses of
the ID (the primitive part of our personality) will take control of the person, leading to
eventual punishment (this is thus a form of Moral Anxiety).
Moral Anxiety
This form of anxiety comes from a fear of violating values and moral codes, and appears
as feelings of guilt or shame.

Defense Mechanisms
When anxiety occurs, the mind first responds by an increase in problem-solving thinking,
seeking rational ways of escaping the situation. If this is not fruitful (and maybe anyway),
a range of defense mechanisms may be triggered. In Freud's language, these are tactics
which the Ego develops to help deal with the Id and the Super Ego.
All Defense Mechanisms share two common properties :

 They often appear unconsciously.

 They tend to distort, transform, or otherwise falsify reality.
In distorting reality, there is a change in perception which allows for a lessening of
anxiety, with a corresponding reduction in felt tension.
Freud's Defense Mechanisms include:

 Denial: claiming/believing that what is true to be actually false.

 Displacement: redirecting emotions to a substitute target.
 Intellectualization: taking an objective viewpoint.
 Projection: attributing uncomfortable feelings to others.
 Rationalization: creating false but credible justifications.
 Reaction Formation: overacting in the opposite way to the fear.
 Regression: going back to acting as a child.
 Repression: pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the subconscious.
 Sublimation: redirecting 'wrong' urges into socially acceptable actions.